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Three Colors: White


Three Colours: White (1994):


So I just saw "White" the second part of Krzysztof Kieslowski's "Three Colours" trilogy and it was great. This time the main theme of the film is the second element of the revolutionary motto: equality (égalité), the latter is all and only what our main character (Karol) wants from his journey.

After being summoned to a Paris divorce court, Karol, a Polish immigrant, is begging his French wife for time and ultimately another chance for her love, she then humiliates him on numerous occasions until he has had enough and decides to go back to his home land.

In France, Karol is embarrassed, broke, alone, and basically not on the same level as everybody else, especially his wife, even our first introduction to him sets the tone of what kind of character he is, where a simple pigeon lands its droppings on him, after that is where the theme of equality comes in place, he becomes determined to achieve such thing between him and his wife, and how he does so is quite the fascinating plan, and that's what's great about the film, you could never guess where the story is going.

There are numerous irrational and unrealistic moments throughout the movie, and despite the film not acknowledging them, I still didn't think that realism was essential or was what the director was going for, besides, they are only there to advance the poetic point that Kieslowzki is making, sure a little bit of suspension of disbelief is acquired, but at least there is a purpose to it and I believe it’s worth it.

Although Kieslowski was able to hold my attention by his particular arrangement of background details too, I didn't find him nearly as impressive as he was in "Blue", just like I didn't find the story as engaging or compelling as in the preceding film.

There is also a lack of clarity near the end of the film, and not in a good way, it felt as if an essential two minute chunk of footage was cut out during the editing process, and I'm not sure why…

Overall, "White" was a unique episode of the trilogy, it differs from its predecessor on many things such as the tone which in this entry was somewhat comedic, I thought some of these choices worked, others didn't, but no matter what they are all intentional, which makes me much more curious to see what "Red" will be like.